Chances
by Chaotic Reflections
Summary: Life is all about taking chances, and if you didn't take chances every now and then, then you weren't truly living.


"Chances"

Written by PoeticLover1996

Disclaimer: I don't own Pucca or any of its relating characters.

Wow, I used to freaking _adore_ this show, and I still do till this day. This is my first story ever for Pucca, so bear with me. Anyways, enjoy the story!

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She was fiery and explosive, like fireworks painting the night sky on a warm Fourth of July. She was spontaneous and had no trouble acting on whatever thought that happened to cross her mind; she held no real fear of the consequences that may befall her nor was she afraid of whatever challenge decided to come her way. No, Pucca was cut from a different kind of cloth, and Garu often believed that God broke whatever mold He used when He created Pucca. The young ninja, now seventeen, was currently perched on the branch of a willow tree that stood several feet from his house. The wind was blowing softly, and it teased his two pig tails and invited them to sway and dance along to its sweet melody.

Why was she of all people, the girl whom he had desperately and on more than one occasion, tried to flee from, taking vacancy inside of his thoughts, Garu wasn't entirely sure of. Hell, it shocked him to no ends at how often he thought about her, but it was something he found that he simply could not help. He suddenly felt drawn to her, like a moth to a flame, and such truth both excited and worried him. Pucca was in a class of her own, and Garu knew the chances of him ever meeting a girl like exactly like her were slim to nonexistent. What was it about her that enticed him so? What made her different from any other girl he had ever crossed paths with?

For starters, Pucca possessed an almost unrealistic strength. Never in all his years had Garu ever witnessed someone wield such raw strength, and Garu praised her for being so capable and resilient without ever having to endure training like he, Abyo, and Ching did. Another admirable trait his lovesick admirer had was that she was fiercely dedicated and loyal to those she loved. Garu could recollect numerous times that Pucca came to the aid of others, himself included, and did whatever it was in her power to keep them safe and out of harm's way. She had saved his hide a lot, and while a part of him was embarrassed and his pride was wounded to a degree of having to be rescued by a girl, he _was_ a skilled fighter and ninja after all, another part was deeply pleased that he had someone that cared about him and looked out for him.

"Meow." Garu opened an eye and gazed down at his pet cat Mio, who was peering up at him with a bowl clasped firmly in his teeth. Garu chuckled and, without breaking a sweat, jumped from the tree branch and landed perfectly on his feet with his usual style and grace. He ran towards Mio and stooped down, stroking him under his chin while the black cat purred and nudged his hand affectionately in response.

"Come on, boy. Let's fix you something to eat," said Garu, scooping Mio in his arms and carrying him back to his little home. He still wasn't quite used to the sound of his voice. He had, in his defense, spent a great portion of his life in complete and utter silence. However, he figured he had lived up to his title as a ninja and had been as fair, just, true, and honorable as humanly possible, so he saw no harm in breaking his vow of silence. Besides, poor Garu couldn't fathom himself not speaking for his entire life; the thought was unsettling to him, and he was glad he relented and decided to speak. His voice was deep and husky, and, from the blush that stained Pucca's face, the breathless laughs she would laugh, and the bashful demeanor she would take on whenever he spoke to her, his voice sounded just fine.

While others would regard his house as small, it suited Garu's needs just fine. He slid the bamboo screen door open and walked inside, sliding the door closed. He walked towards his kitchen and grabbed a bag of cat food and proceeded to fix Mio some food. The cat meowed in appreciation before gobbling up the meal before him, causing Garu to laugh quietly at his eating habits.

Garu walked to his room, sliding the door open and opted to leave it open so that the cool air could air out his somewhat stuffy room. He didn't have much decorations and things like that, just a simple futon to sleep on, a punching bag in the corner of his room for him to practice on, a small closet that held his clothes, and his _katana_ that rested against his bedroom wall. He made his way to his futon and laid down, his legs outstretched while his head was comfortably propped against his pillow. With his arms crossed behind his head, Garu's eyes slipped shut and allowed his thoughts to wander. Much to his dismay and his annoyance, they wandered towards the very girl that he had spent a lot of his life running away from.

Pucca. Ah, the very sound of her name made his heart race and flutter, reactions he was unfamiliar with. Why did she make him feel weak in the knees and lightheaded all of a sudden? Never had she managed to garner such a reaction out of him before in the past, so why did merely thinking about her evoke such feelings? He was a ninja, a skilled and deadly warrior, was he not? So, surely he should be able to resist Pucca's allure, right? And yet, he found himself being more and more drawn to her with each passing day, and no amount of training could prepare him for something like this.

Perhaps he began to tolerate and like her more because she had relented in her pursuit of making him hers. Now, she did still chase and shower him with kisses every once and a while, but it wasn't nearly as overwhelming and smothering as it had once been. Plus, she let Garu have his space and peace, things that he valued greatly. Maybe that was why he began to like her more. While she could sometimes be over the top and a bit too much to handle at times, she was a very good friend and cared deeply for him.

_Pucca is a good person, so kind and fearless, not to mention a kick ass fighter. She's really pretty too, _Garu mused, ignoring the way his heart hammered madly against his chest when he thought of Pucca as pretty. She, along with him, had really grown over the years. Now fifteen, she had developed soft curves, a figure envied by every girl that set eyes on her. Her hair, free from its ties, was worn down in rich, midnight waves that cascaded past her shoulders and stopped a few inches above the middle of her back; her eyes were a silvery gray color, and her skin was a light, tan color. Her laughter was pleasant to the ears, and he loved the sound of it. She now wore a blue blouse, black jeans that hugged her in all the right places, and white flats. She truly was a beauty, and everyone with eyes could see it, him included.

How could he be oblivious to the beauty she radiated? He found himself gazing at her and drinking in her appearance until she turned around, their eyes locking before he would look away, a hot blush on his face. Just what was wrong with him? His recent behavior confounded him. Why in the world was he thinking about _her_ so much? Could it mean that he actually… _liked__Pucca!?_ Garu sat up, coughing violently as he nearly choked on his spit. _Him_ actually harboring feelings towards _Pucca_? Ridiculous! Impossible! That was like asking Abyo to not rip his shirt for five minutes. And yet, such a thought didn't seem so impossible.

Garu stood up and began pacing his room, hands clasped behind him as his brows furrowed in deep thought. He was trying to come to terms with the fact that he liked Pucca. Just what was the world coming to? One minute he was heading for the hills whenever he got glance of her, and now he practically wanted to run towards her. Life could be strange like that, he realized. He wondered what he should do about the situation at hand. On one hand, he didn't want to pursue a relationship because it would interfere with his concentration and training. She would be a distraction, something he really couldn't afford to have. What if danger decided to rear its ugly head? What if someone, like his enemy and archrival Tobe and his gang of ninjas, decided to kidnap Pucca and use her as bait to lure him into a trap? He would never forgive himself if she got hurt because of him, and he didn't want to risk anything happening to her.

But, on the other hand, if he did decide to be something more with Pucca, he wouldn't have to be alone anymore. And, while Garu tried to argue that he preferred lonely and had no qualms with it, the fact of the matter was that he was alone. He had spent a lot of his life alone, and he found himself growing tired of it. Sometimes, when he went to the village to hang with the gang, his heart would clench tightly as envy had its wicked way with it whenever he saw Abyo and Ching holding hands or doing other things along those lines.

He wasn't jealous of his friends, for he was very glad that they found happiness with each other. It was just another painful reminder that he was alone and was likely to remain that way. In the past, such a prospect didn't bother him and was okay by him, but now, at seventeen, the thought of spending the rest of his life in solitude bothered him and made him pretty sad. Was that his fate, doomed to forever be alone?

And again, an image of Pucca's smiling face flashed inside his mind, and he found that just thinking about her took the stab of loneliness away.

"Okay, so I like Pucca. Now what do I do? Do I just waltz up to her and say, "Hey, sorry for being a jerk all those years to you, but guess what? It turns out that I actually like you too! Sorry it took me like, what, five years to figure my feelings out for you. By the way, would you like to go out with me sometime?" Yeah, because I can definitely see that scenario working out just fine," Garu said, snorting in disdain. Sitting on his ass and not saying anything wasn't a very feasible option either.

He had noticed the way guys would stare at Pucca, and he couldn't fight the jealousy that suddenly stirred inside him whenever he saw it. He really couldn't expect her to wait around for him forever because it wasn't fair to her. The thought of her being happy with someone that wasn't him pierced him deeper in the heart than his _katana_, and he realized that he didn't want to live a life without her in it.

_When did I become so soft? Nobody has ever made me feel this way, and yet, she manages to do so effortlessly and without breaking a sweat,_ Garu mused, and that was true. Sure, girls flirted with him, blew him kisses, and offered to date him, but they couldn't hold his attention for more than five seconds. They bored him, and he knew what their intentions were. They just wanted him because of his status and his looks, but things like those didn't matter to Pucca. She had once told him that she loved him for the kind of person he was, and even though she was twelve, the words she said were sincere and true, and he knew that she had meant them.

_Okay, so Pucca likes me and I like her. Somehow, I saw this coming. The Lord always did have an odd sense of humor,_ he thought, laughing quietly as he opened the door and left his room. Mio mewed at him in question, but Garu paid no mind to it. He had an agenda on his mind, and he refused to stop until he had seen it through. He was going to find Pucca and tell him how he felt. He did fear rejection; after all, Pucca waited how long for him, and he didn't bother to even spare her a glance? He wouldn't blame her if she hated his guts and never wanted to see him again. However, he would never know unless he tried, and he was definitely no coward. Life, he realized, was all about taking chances, and if you didn't take chances every now and then, then you weren't truly living.


End file.
